Girl, 16, denied bail in Jupiter

Teen accused in 3 armed robberies

September 7, 2007|By Missy Diaz Staff Writer

A judge has denied bail to a 16-year-old chronic runaway accused in three violent armed robberies of Hispanic men.

Katlyne Deutsch-Williams faces up to life in prison if convicted as charged of the crimes, which all occurred on June 23 in Jupiter. She told police that she "has a problem with illegal immigrants and doesn't know why they are in this country."

Her 19-year-old boyfriend, Jacob Slocum, faces similar charges in the same cases.

On Wednesday, Deutsch-Williams stood in a red jail-issued uniform with her feet shackled. Her mother and father testified on her behalf, assuring Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga that they would keep a close eye on their daughter should the judge release her to their custody.

During questioning by Assistant State Attorney Caroline Shepherd, Charles Williams and Mary Deutsch Gillespie acknowledged that their daughter has been in trouble in recent years, running away from home several times.

She has been involuntarily committed on more than one occasion, her father said, and once escaped from an ambulance. At the age of 12, she was solicited by a 22-year-old man over the Internet, according to her mother. The man received a year in jail for the crime, she said.

And, her mother said, Deutsch-Williams was deeply affected by the death of her stepmother a couple of years ago and was raped when she was 14.

Defense attorney Darren Shull told Labarga he likely will seek to suppress his client's statement to Jupiter police, in which she confessed to the armed robberies. She told police that on the day of the robberies, "she was harassed and touched inappropriately earlier in the day by a Spanish guy."

The first victim was hit in the head with a piece of wood and had $400 and his wallet stolen. A knife was used to cut the second man, who escaped without getting robbed. A gun was brandished during that attempt, according to a police report. A knife and a pipe were used to rob the third victim, who had $1,000, a cell phone and his wallet stolen, Shepherd said. That man was cut on the back with a knife during the robbery.

Shepherd argued against bail for Deutsch-Williams, saying that her family has been unable to control her in the past.

"She's a danger to certain members of the community," the prosecutor said.

Shull countered that while Deutsch-Williams may have made critical statements about illegal immigrants, that is not a crime.

"It's a political statement, not one of hate," he said, noting that the same opinion can be heard coast-to-coast on conservative talk shows.

"I'm going to be vigorously fighting the charges," Shull said after court Wednesday.